Vital Signs, Vibrant Society : Securing Australia's Economic and Social Wellbeing

sets Out A Program Of Economic And Social Reform For The Next 50 Years Aimed At Boosting The Living Standards And Overall Well Being Of All Australians During A Period When The Nation’s Population Will Age Significantly. 0868408832......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 6 Foreword by Ross Garnaut......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 15 The challenge......Page 17 Thinking big......Page 20 The five I’s......Page 21 A big country, a bright future......Page 24 Policies for a better country......Page 26 Can we afford it?......Page 48 Overall wellbeing......Page 49 Structural weaknesses exposed......Page 50 Faltering productivity growth......Page 51 Weak exports......Page 52 Consumption today, or investment fortomorrow?......Page 53 The deficit – big, and getting bigger......Page 55 Labor’s reform program......Page 58 The rewards of economic reform......Page 64 The first P – population......Page 65 The second P – participation......Page 71 The third P – productivity......Page 72 Overall wellbeing......Page 75 Securing the next round of productivity growth......Page 77 Keeping the door open, and pushing it wider......Page 78 New sources of productivity growth......Page 85 Health and aged care in a fair society......Page 91 Australia’s mixed system......Page 92 Rationing health and aged care......Page 94 The need for reform......Page 96 Reforming the health-care system......Page 98 Reforming the aged-care system......Page 106 The pharmaceutical benefits scheme......Page 110 Health and aged-care accounts?......Page 111 Our children are our future......Page 112 The Australian experience withskills development......Page 113 Educational disadvantage in Australia......Page 117 Why we need school education reforms......Page 118 A new school funding model......Page 120 Literacy and numeracy support......Page 123 A preschool education for all Australianchildren......Page 125 Full-service schools......Page 128 Attracting – and retaining – the best teachers......Page 130 University funding......Page 131 Vocational education funding......Page 141 Australia’s research and development effort......Page 143 Reforming Australia’s R&D incentives......Page 145 Use it or lose it......Page 147 Australia as a free-rider?......Page 148 The workforce participation rate......Page 150 Increasing workforce participation......Page 151 Women at work, and fertility......Page 157 Australia’s settlement pattern......Page 159 Immigration......Page 160 Settling in Australia’s dynamic regions......Page 162 Attracting migrants to regional centres......Page 164 Attracting Australians to regional centres......Page 167 Slowing emigration......Page 169 Is Australia’s infrastructure failing?......Page 171 Infrastructure funding......Page 172 A national infrastructure plan......Page 174 Freight......Page 177 Energy......Page 178 What about water?......Page 180 The tyranny of proximity – too closefor comfort?......Page 182 The folly of preferential trade deals......Page 183 Opening up Australia’s preferential trade deals......Page 189 An Australia–China trade deal?......Page 191 Foreign investment liberalisation......Page 192 Why we need tax reform......Page 194 Towards an efficient, fair tax system......Page 196 Abolishing the top rate?......Page 198 A genuine reform proposal......Page 200 A tax reform downpayment in 2006–07......Page 202 Taxing education and training......Page 206 Business tax reform......Page 207 Public investment in the five I’s......Page 210 A renewed commitment to superannuation......Page 212 Ending the Great Australian Inflation –but at what cost?......Page 214 Maintaining low inflation......Page 217 The plan for Australia needs low inflation......Page 220 Notes......Page 221 References......Page 232 Index......Page 243 Sets out a programme of economic and social reform for the next 50 years aimed at boosting the living standards and overall wellbeing of all Australians during a period when the nation's population will age significantly. Advocates extra investment in the five i's - ideas, infrastructure, initiative and immigration Proposes a school funding program that removes distinctions between government and private schools. This work sets out a program of economic and social reform aimed at boosting the living standards and overall wellbeing of all Australians during a period when the nation's population will age significantly.